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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1710.PDF
•o.2177.Vol.LVIII.THURS.,14 SEPT.195O AND AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IK THE WORLD , FOUMIBD 1909 DOS ISSUE OF "MJKHT" ' As most of our readers - in this country, at any rate -will by now be aware, a stoppage of work in a section of the printing industry has seriously affected publication of themajority of periodicals printed in London. Believing that aviation enthusiasts, rather than go without the kind of newsthey require, would prefer to receive the highlights - in somewhat unconventional guise - we have produced this aner-genoy issue. Though most of the regular features are neces- sarily condensed, we have succeeded in presenting what wehope will be considered a well-illustrated commentary on that outstanding event, the S.B.A.C. Show. At the time of writ-ing the dispute remains unsettled, but readers may rest as- sured that we shall continue to do our utmost to keep then in touch. •;••••• ANOTHER FARHBOROUGH TRIUMPH Introducing his presidential address at the annual banquet of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors (at which more than 700 were present, with Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb, Commander- ln-Chief, Air Forces Western Europe, as the prin- cipal guest;, Mr. W.T. 0111 said that people whose interests covered all aspects of aviation affairs were present from nearly every quarter of the globe, and he assured them that everything had been done to see that their journeys were worth while. On this score there need have been no fears. Having viewed the Society's Farnborough Display, we feel sure that no one can have come away dis- appointed by what he saw, for once again the air- craft industry provided a brilliant and exhilarat- ing spectacle. Ho fewer than 30 aircraft - half of the total - were making their first appearance at the Show, and 28 in all were gas-turbine-powered. Indications were to be found everywhere of the virility of the industry and of its growing enter- prise - a quality so essential to success but understandably a little stifled in the first year or two after the war. Almost all the serious gaps have been filled, and manufacturers have now produced promising pro- totypes of night and all-weather fighters and of modern anti-submarine aircraft. Admittedly there is still an absence of Jet bombers in the larger classes, but examples are known to be well advanced in construction, and the outstanding Canberra, el- ready in production, is flying in more than oneform. A good measure of the progress made in turbo- jet development was provided by a comparison of the performance of the Avon-Meteor this year with that of the same aircraft last year, when the thrust of each unit was a little over 6,000 lb and the climb to 40,000ft took not quite four minutes. Moreover, it cannot have escaped the notice of many spectat- ors that the twin-Sapphire-Meteor, with 14,000 lb thrust available, apparently had nothing over its new-Avon-powered stableaate. A word must be said for the flight-refuelling of Meteor by Lincoln. Just such a low-level dem- onstration as this, with its apparent simplicity and precision, was needed to convince of its prac- ticability those who previously had only read of this British development. It has been suggested that sales results fol- lowing the S.B.A.C. Air Show do not Justify holding it each year. With this view we cannot agree. The staging of a display which has come to be re- garded as the world's outstanding annual aeronaut- ical occasion immeasurably enhances Britain* s prestige, stimulates both the energies of the in- dustry and the airmindedness of the individual, and provides as well a unique occasion for the ex- change of knowledge between the representatives of aviation in all free nations. GENERAL REVS Following the shooting-down, off Korea on September 4th, of a twin-engined aircraft with Sov- iet star markings and at least one Russian in the crew (his body was recovered;, a Washington state- ment said the incident occurred when it attacked U.S. naval foroes. Two days later the Russians protested, alleging that the aircraft, which had neither bomber nor torpedo armaments, was carrying out a training flight from Port Arthur to the area of Hai-Yun-Tao island, 140km from the shores of Korea, when it was attacked by 11 U.S.A.F. fighters. Investigation, compensation and "punishment of the guilty11 were demanded. Both the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow and the State Department in Washington refused to accept the protest, saying it was a mat- ter for the United Nations. Further developments seem likely as we go to press. The first Meteor 8 Jointly produced in Bel- gium and Holland under the Western Union defence scheme has been- test-flown, by Col. Johnny Legrand, before being delivered to the Belgian Air Force. Fokker are building the airframes of these Meteors, and the Derwents are being constructed by the Bel- gian F.Rv company. The world* s largest blimp - ordered by the U.S. Navy for anti-submarine work - is nearing completion at the Akron, Ohio, works of the Good- year Aircraft Corporation. It will carry a crew of 14 at speeds up to 75 knots. Cost of construc- tion is estimated as £1,780,000. Apart from B.A.F. "At Home" Day, reference to which is made under the heading "Service Aviation", aviation1s big event this week-end is the "Daily Express" South Coast Air Race, from Hum (Bourne- mouth; to Herne Bay, on Saturday. There are 76 entries, details of which we gave on August 51st» and estimated approach times for the leading air- craft are: start, 2 p.m.; Portsmouth, 2.50; Brigh- ton, 3; Dungeness, 3.30; Herne Bay Pier, soon after 3.45. After finishing, aircraft will dis- perse and land at Lympne, Southend, Rochester and other airfields; the prize-giving ceremony, there- fore, will be held later, in London - at the R.Ae.C. Aviation Centre, Londonderry House, at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, September 20th. Entrants, competitors and officials may attend, and bring one guest.
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